Blog - Life in the DayngrZone

Crystal Coast Geek Breakfast MeetUp January 30

{ January 22, 2014 } - Trish

Crystal Coast Tech Enthusiasts,

You’re invited to join me for my monthly Crystal Coast Geek Breakfast, Thursday, January 30, from 9 AM to 10 AM at The Java Post.

I’m pleased to be a part of bringing the local tech community together, right here along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. If you’re interested in technology, work in the industry or just want to learn what’s going on in the area, come on out and let’s connect.

What’s a Geek Breakfast?

A Geek Breakfast is a monthly community-driven meeting for local (and visiting) technology-minded people. Each month attendees congregate over breakfast foods and plenty of coffee to discuss topics like social media, blogging, digital marketing, design, programming, and ways to better their communities through technology.

Who Can Participate?

Everyone is invited, attendance is free (just pay for your own breakfast).

Where?

This breakfast will be held at The Java Post:

The Java Post

207 WB McLean Drive

Cape Carteret, NC. 28584

When?

Thursday, January 30, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am and then once a month after that. Stay tuned!

What’s the Hashtag?

The official hashtag for this event is #GeekBreakfastSOBX if you can’t make it but would like to follow along online.

What’s Next?

Though registration isn’t required, please take a moment to RSVP the Facebook Page at: Crystal Coast Geek Breakfast – January so I can get a good idea of how many people to expect.

Questions?

For more information, call us at (252) 226-0885 or post your questions on our Facebook page. I’m looking forward to meeting you, January 30, 2014 and getting some great conversations started!

Farewell Salesforce, Hello DayngrZone Media

{ December 13, 2013 } - Trish

If you’re an old-timer around here, you’ve surely noticed that things have been a little different lately, and you might be wondering why.

Farewell Salesforce

At the very end of August, Salesforce laid off another 200 or more employees after another round of mergers and acquisitions. It wasn’t the first time this happened, so it doesn’t come as a complete surprise. My buddy, Eric Tung, wrote about that here and featured me along with several of my fellow former co-workers. It was great to see how valued and appreciated we all were by our community, industry and even our competitors!

They say when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Or, you could take those lemons, set up a lemonade stand and launch your own digital marketing boutique! That’s what I did.

Launching DayngrZone Media

I’ve loved my time at Salesforce – Radian6 – Marketing Cloud, but couldn’t wait to get back to being my own boss and running my own business. After the big news, I reached out to old clients and new prospects. A day later, I was back in business and setting up DayngrZone Media, my digital marketing, strategy and consulting business, in my new home state. It was a no-brainer to go back to consulting. That’s what I’d done prior to joining Radian6, and I was looking forward to helping local businesses with their digital marketing, right here in Eastern North Carolina.

I’ve joined the Chamber of Commerce, and have been attending local SCORE Business meetings. I’ve also co-founded East Coast NC and put all my content management and content strategy expertise to use there and I’ve started writing content for the site. Then I kicked my social media mojo up a notch and launched Social Media Club Crystal Coast (@SMCSOBX) and Geek Breakfast Crystal Coast (#GeekBreakfastSOBX). It’s been busy, and exhausting at times, but exhilarating as well.

Always Evolving

This site’s look has been updated a few times, and will continue to evolve as I do, and as DayngrZone Media does. Naturally, I’ll be writing about social media, content marketing and social networking. But, it’s my hope to continue to incorporate my life along North Carolina’s beautiful Crystal Coast into this site as well.

I’d Love Your Support

I hope you’ll support me in my journey from employee to entrepreneur (again) and subscribe to DayngrZone Media via your favorite RSS reader or by email using the subscription option on the sidebar. Join my Facebook page, and follow along with me at @Dayngr or @DayngrZoneMedia. Be sure to visit often. I welcome your comments and thoughts on the articles I write. I hope you’ll share the content you find useful here with people who may appreciate it, and I hope you’ll let me know what types of content you’re interested in reading and what subjects you’d like to learn more about. If you’d like to join me at Geek Breakfast Social Media Club (or even be a speaker) I’d encourage you to do so.

I’m excited to share this new adventure with you, and I’m looking forward to a prosperous 2014! Hope you are too!

If Social Networks Were Reality TV Shows…

{ November 14, 2013 } - Trish

Ever feel like you’re starring in your own reality show each time you log on to your favorite social network? In a way you are, so let’s play on that idea and consider what it might be like if social networks were reality TV shows.

If Social Networks Were Reality TV Shows…

Pinterest would be Hoarders because you can never have too many pictures of outfits you’ll never wear, crafts you’ll never make and adorable baby animals.

Facebook would be The Real Housewives franchise because executives want to duplicate its success, there’s always some kind of drama going on around it and some status updates and photos really should not be broadcast to the masses.

Twitter would be Chelsea Lately because it’s wildly entertaining, it shares the top stories of the day, and you can count on at least three or four inappropriate comments to be made, along with a few people speaking as experts on subjects they aren’t really qualified to speak about.

Google+ would be Survivor because people can’t stop talking about it, and Survivor’s tribes are like G+ circles. You can organize your interests into separate circles with the option to merge whenever you please, as well as remove people from your circle who aren’t contributing.

LinkedIn would be The Apprentice because everyone is eager to contribute their expertise, further their professional development, and be recognized as a thought leader.

All kidding aside, social media and the time you spend on these social networks can be powerful for your business. Just be sure that what you’re sharing across these platforms is thought-provoking, helpful, interesting, necessary and provides added value for your online community. Take the time to consider what you’re sharing across your social networks and how it reflects on your brand.

Your Turn to Comment on If Social Networks Were Reality TV Shows…

What’s your favorite social network, and do you have a favorite reality TV show? What shows would you add to this list? Would you change-up the comparisons? Add your thoughts in the comments below or tweet them to me @Dayngr.

Crystal Coast Geek Breakfast Kicks Off October 31st

{ October 23, 2013 } - Trish

You’re invited to the first Crystal Coast Geek Breakfast! Join us Thursday, October 31st, from 9 AM to 10 AM at the Carteret Cafe.

I’m really excited to get the local tech community together and talking, right here along North Carolina’s the Crystal Coast. I’ve launched Crystal Coast Geek Breakfast! If you’re interested in technology, work in the industry or just want to learn what’s going on in the area, come on out and let’s connect.

What’s a Geek Breakfast?

A Geek Breakfast is a monthly community-driven meeting for local (and visiting) technology-minded people. Each month attendees congregate over bacon, eggs and plenty of coffee to discuss topics like social media, blogging, digital marketing, design, programming, and ways to better their communities.

Who Can Participate?

Everyone is invited, attendance is free (buy your own breakfast).

Where?

This breakfast will be held at The Carteret Cafe:

The Carteret Cafe

1000 W.B. McLean Drive

Cape Carteret, NC. 28584

When?

Thursday, October 31 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM

What’s the Hashtag?

The official hashtag for this event is #GeekBreakfastSOBX and we hope you’ll tweet it and share it. Additionally, pictures, audio, and video should be licensed under Creative Commons and tagged using “CrystalCoastGeekBreakfast” and “GeekBreakfast” and you’re invited to add them to the Geek Breakfast Flickr Group.

What’s Next?

Though registration isn’t required, we’d love you to RSVP in the comments below or on our Facebook Page at: Crystal Coast Geek Breakfast – October so we can get a good idea of how many people to expect.

Questions?

If you have questions, drop them in the comments below and we’ll be happy to answer them. We’re looking forward to meeting you, October 31st and getting some great conversations started!

Going Spoonless with the Früsh Sampling Party

{ June 10, 2013 } - Trish

{Sponsored Post}

I consider myself pretty lucky to get to sample and learn about new products. So, I was pretty excited to learn about Früsh! What’s Früsh you ask? Früsh is yogurt on the go, so you don’t need a spoon. It’s made with real fruit, creamy yogurt and all-natural health boosters like HOWARU® Bifido probiotics and TruCal® calcium. Ok, so how do you pronounce it? It’s Fruit and Fresh together, so it sounds like fr-ooo-sh (ü = ooo, like moon). It doesn’t rhyme with rush.

Party Time

At the end of May, I had the privilege of hosting a Früsh sampling party with a few of my very busy friends who are always on the go! Früsh gave me a variety of flavors for us to try, a helpful information kit, coupons and lots of practical goodies to share with my party attendees. Since we’re all always on the go, it was only natural that I’d invite them to take the spoonless challenge and try Früsh with me.

Blueberry was a hit with Jennifer.

She even gave it a thumbs up. That’s impressive.

Blueberry was also a hit with Shannon, and Kelly liked Strawberry. They liked how smooth and creamy Früsh was and that it didn’t have chunks of fruit in it. They also thought the bottle had a unique shape. It’s sculpted to fit in your hand, which might sound silly until you’re trying to drive kids to school and have breakfast on the go. In situations like that, going Spoonless makes pretty good sense.

Less Sugar and Gluten Free

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Früsh had less sugar that many of the well-known brands of yogurt we buy at our house, which makes it a better choice for me and for the kids. I was also happy to learn that it’s Gluten-Free and has more calcium than a glass of milk.

Buying Local and Helping the North Carolina Economy

Buying local is important to me for several reasons. It’s a greener option and it helps the local economy. Therefore, I was pleased to learn that Origin Food Group, the company that makes Früsh is investing $7 million to build a brand new, state-of-the-art processing facility, retrofit an existing site, and develop a brand and a product that will meet the expectations of the demanding current-day consumer. This processing plant is off of Interstate 40 in Iredell County. The company created 28 jobs for the launch of its Früsh line. Origin Food Group projects that it will employ 40 to 50 people by 2014 as the company expands its product lines. The company also is investing locally by purchasing milk from neighboring partner Stamey Farms, located about one mile from the production facility.

Try Früsh for Yourself

Interested in trying Früsh for yourself? No worries, you can find Früsh in your local grocery stores like Harris Teeter, Lowes Food, Winn Dixie and more.

Learn More About Früsh

We enjoyed Früsh and I think you will too! Have you tried it? Let me know what you thought in the comments below.

OWG Raging Raspberry Lemonade and Grown Up Party Time

{ April 9, 2013 } - Trish

It’s Party time and I’m so excited! The folks over at OWG {Old World Gourmet} sent me this delicious looking frozen drink mixes to try and I can’t wait. I’m going to invite the lovely ladies in my neighborhood over and we’re going to put these drink mixes to the test. Girls, good chats, snacks, and frozen drinks! What could be better?

Do you have any great grown-up party snack recommendations or recipes? This will be my first get-together with the neighborhood gals so your tips and food suggestions would be so helpful. The easier the better since I’m no gourmet cook – yet. Ha! Seriously, if you’ve got some suggestions, just let me know in the comments and feel free to link me to your recipes.

Want to learn more about Old World Gourmet?

Visit Old World Gourmet at:

Web: http://www.owgshoponline.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OWGshop
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oldworldgourmet

Have you tried OWG’s products? Stay tuned for the follow-up post once we taste test these mixes.

Have You Checked Out Minted Yet?

{ April 7, 2013 } - Trish

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Minted

As I’ve mentioned before, sometimes I get to blog about some really neat finds, when super sweet folks reach out to me. I was lucky enough to get an email from the good folks over at Minted.com with an offer to check out their site and their products. For example, take a peek at their unique Wedding Invitations.

But they’re not all about weddings, there are tons of other items like holiday cards, journals, birthday cards, and so much more! I Especially like their mommy play-date cards and ultra-classy business cards

I’m digging that there are tons of designers on the site that make it easy for me to find the items that speak to my creative side. I think you’ll like Minted as much as I have. In fact, Minted is a global community of independent graphic designers and an online store that prints and sells the best of their designs in the form of paper goods. Does it get any better than that?

If you’re interested in checking them out, consider registering through my referral link so you can get $25 off your order and in turn, I can get $25 off mine! Win/Win!

{What you may not know about me: My mom worked for a printing company for 35+ years. Because of that, I have an incredible love for design, beautiful stationery and paper/card stock. In turn, I followed in my mom’s footsteps and entered into the wonderful world of printing, where I worked for 20 years!}

* Disclosure * I’m receiving $100 credit from Minted for sharing my opinion of their site and products.

I’d love to hear your thought on these pretty paper products! Be sure to add your thoughts in the comments below.

Daddy Daughter Spa Day

{ March 24, 2013 } - Trish

This weekend my little one has been feeling pretty icky. Her brother got to have a play-date yesterday and because she was sick, she wasn’t able to join in on the fun. But being under the weather doesn’t mean she can’t have fun at home. She hatched a plan to get her daddy to have a daddy-daughter spa day today, since she was stuck at home. She convinced him to paint her nails and in turn, she would get to paint his. I have to say, I was pretty amazed to see their pretty purple and pink nails. Never underestimate the power a little girl has over her daddy.

Pretty darn cute, isn’t it?

What fun things do you do when your kids are at home and feeling a bit unwell? I’d love to know.

Happy New Year Traditions!

{ December 29, 2012 } - Trish

Above is a photo of our Christmas tree this year, in the dining room, taken with my new Canon EOS Rebel T3

Hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and we’re off to the start of a new year. The kids and I are looking forward to New Year’s Eve this year. We’re spending it at my aunt’s house, surrounded by family and friends. Being Italian, we’re going to have plenty of food on hand for everyone to enjoy.

Our Wacky New Year Traditions

I think one of the things I’m looking forward to the most is the fun traditions we have, like making noise at midnight by banging on pots and pans. We eat 12 grapes, one with each bell strike of the clock after midnight, and we pull out the largest bills we have in our wallets and shake our money at the moon. So silly, but fun. The kids will be experiencing this for the first time here in North Carolina.

We’re not the only ones who participate in these wacky traditions, though. Other cultures have their own New Year traditions, too. When I lived in South Florida it was pretty common to see people walking around the block with their luggage. So, it’s not just us.

Finally, It Feels Like the Holidays

Holidays here actually feel like holidays, the weather is a little cooler and we can appreciate the change of seasons.

This will be the first year that the kids can actually go outside and enjoy these traditions. Back in Miami, it just wasn’t safe to go outside because people would shoot guns in the air and I was seriously concerned someone would get hurt. One year a bullet came down and lodged in my neighbor’s carport. I’m so thrilled not to have to deal with that anymore.

I hope your new year will be filled with love and new adventures!

What holiday traditions do you have? I’d love to know.

Congratulations, Freckle Face Girl!

{ December 21, 2012 } - Trish

What fun is a giveaway if you don’t have a winner? That wouldn’t be much fun, would it? I’m so thrilled to be able to share the Playing for Keeps – Me Moment Giveaway prize package with long-time blogger buddy, Freckle Face Girl! She’s not just the winner folks, she’s a pretty cool blogger, too. Swing by her blog and congratulate her and check out what she’s blogging out. Congrats, FFG!